It was a beautiful fall day when I stopped at Triple Dog Brewing in Havre. I had been traveling along US Hwy 2 (Montana’s HiLine) taking photos, and sunshine and bluebird skies followed me the entire way.
As I approached Havre my timing was good to stop by the town’s oldest brewery.
Established in 2014, Triple Dog Brewing has seen two expansions since opening their original brewery. They are in the same location in Havre, 675 1st Street West, on the north side of Hwy 2. As they have grown, they have just gradually added on and extended their footprint.
Friends were waiting for me and had secured a table up front. At quarter to five the place was packed, something I didn’t quite expect, but this was obviously the place to be. Owner/brewer Michael Garrity joined our table and talked about the successes of the brewery.
Typical of many brewers, Michael started home brewing, fell in love with it, and turned it into a business. He is from Havre, his wife is from Chinook 20 miles east, so they have many local connections.
A couple of geographic connections have been used when selecting names of the brews. Fresno Wheat is named for Fresno Reservoir, a recreational reservoir west of town. Fresno is a year round destination for fishermen. Summer boaters, campers and picnickers flock there when the temps rise.
Bear Paws Belgian Wit is named for the island mountain range south of town. The Bear Paws are a local recreation secret adjoining the 10,000 acre Beaver Creek Park. Thank you Triple Dog for naming the mountain range and the beer the way that I feel it is correct. Bear Paws, not Bears Paw!
Triple Dog Brewing has seven standard brews on tap and three seasonal brews. The time of my visit was November so you can bet there was something pumpkin available in the seasonal line! One of my friends said she liked the pumpkin ale served with a cinnamon sugar rim and that sounded darn good to me.
Besides the seasonal Pumpkin Hucker Ale, you’ll find Fresno Wheat, Aberdeen Scotch Ale, Duck Face IPA, American Mutt Pale Ale, Dumpster Diver Stout, Stache Cat IPA and Bear Paws Belgian Wit. In addition to Pumpkin Hucker Ale, other seasonal beers included HiLine Honey Rye and Single Hop Galena IPA. I tried American Mutt Pale Ale – I don’t venture too far from pale ales!
Now, for some tidbits I learned from the brewer. The pumpkin ale (I had a few sips) was made from pumpkins grown near Havre. It’s a project by several young gals on their parents’ farm. Infinity Bakery in Havre uses Triple Dog’s beer in some of their baked goods. The spent grain (after brewing) is used to make dog treats. Artwork lining he walls is from local artists and it is all for sale.
My final question for Michael was about the name Triple Dog. Do they have three dogs? The answer was no. But they do have a dog named Jack. The Triple Dog name came after watching the movie A Christmas Story where someone mentioned a triple dog dare.
I’ll end my story with Triple Dog’s slogan. Havre made. Havre Kegged. Havre Pour Me Another.